Mr + Mrs Rutherford
Monday 7th May 2018 │ Doxford Barns, Northumberland
Instagram: @lauramallace + @lauramallacehairstyling
Bridal hairstylist Laura and Craig wed at a beautiful rustic venue with a soft colour palette and subtle Friends theme. Their gorgeous doggies Toby and Silver made an appearance and were dressed for the occasion! Laura tells us all about their DIY day, her Durham hen do, and their Costa Rica honeymoon of a lifetime - as well as offering some important advice to brides about getting married on a weekday.
How did you meet?
Craig saw me walking down the street one day, then another day I drove past him and his friend, he asked his friend who I was to which his friend gave him completely the wrong information! Eventually he found me on Facebook, and we spoke on and off for just under a year before we actually met. We eventually met on a Tuesday, and by the Sunday we were official! If you know, you know...
Tell us the story of your proposal...
We were on holiday in Spain, Craig knew I would want my parents there so he had them come out for the last few days of our holiday. I had been badgering him all holiday about getting engaged and he thought I knew his plan but I didn’t! When my mum arrived I completely forgot as I was so excited to see her. We planned to go out for dinner on their second night to our favourite steak place, when we arrived there was a 40 minute wait so we went for a walk on the beach (which worked out well as Craig said he couldn’t eat before as he was so nervous). We went down to the beach To “look at the inflatable assault course in the sea” to see if we wanted to do it the next day, just as it was starting to get dark, my mum and dad were miles behind (obviously giving us space) but I was getting annoyed that they were taking ages to catch up (lol). Next minute I’m marching on to make sure I can see this assault course before it gets pitch black, and Craig's not next to me... I turn around and he’s about 10 metres behind me on his knee next to loads of fairy lights. I ran back completely confused as to what he was doing and he asked me to marry him! It was dark by now and I couldn’t even see the ring but I didn’t care! My mum and dad came running over and put a torch on my ring and I couldn’t believe how stunning it was, about 2 years earlier I had shown Craig a ring I liked and it was the exact ring. A beautiful pear-shaped engagement ring. He did good.
My favourite part of the day was the ceremony, even though that had been the part I was most worried about! It went perfectly and I have never felt a feeling like it. It sounds cringey but I was so nervous and as soon as I saw Craig it was like we were the only people in the room and the nerves just melted away. I cry every time we watch the ceremony video, it takes me right back!
Why did you choose your wedding date?
We decided we needed at least a year and a half to save up, we wanted May as in past years April/May has always been lovely and then the summer has been dull and rainy! We chose a bank holiday Monday as the venue required 100 minimum day guests on a Saturday and we wanted a smaller wedding than that, it was also more suitable for our budget.
Tell us about your wedding theme...
Our wedding was a friends theme, we both absolutely love friends and knew there wasn’t any other theme that would be right for us! It was subtle but perfect, our colour scheme was blue and grey.
Did you make any wedding DIYs?
We did so much, and I loved it! I made signs, our table plan was made from a old window my neighbour had in his shed. We made the photo booth - I bought the PDFs on Etsy, printed them out, mounted them on card with lollipop sticks and we made the big yellow friends frame with wood, and papier-mâché!
The favours were keys and I wrote every single calligraphy label by hand, I bedazzled my shoes, made my bridesmaids boxes, made shot glasses for the bridesmaids, I painted jars and added lace. I used gin bottles with lights in, I made gypsophila balls to hang from the beams, I painted a pallet for the order of service, and so much more!
What was your favourite wedding planning moment?
Lying in the sun the day after getting engaged looking at wedding venues together, I was so excited to get home and view them!
Where did you find all of your inspiration?
Pinterest, obvs! Also some wedding magazines. Pinterest is a dangerous game guys! Expectations are too high, and I found it hard to source a lot of the stuff I pinned in the UK, also I didn’t think about having to use flowers that were in season etc. So bare that in mind!
Tell us about your hen do...
We stayed in a beautiful farmhouse in Durham, for two nights. We had 2 hot tubs, played games and we had a night out in Newcastle on the Saturday. It was the best weekend ever.
What was the funniest moment of the day?
Either being bundled into a tiny Ford Fiesta to get pictures in a field and taking up the whole car with my dress that Chris (photographer) could barely find the gear stick! Or during the ceremony when our celebrant kept calling me Debs, and Craig... Stuart? Hahaha...
Is there anything you wish you'd done
differently?
I wish we had been able to get married on a Saturday, looking back a lot of people couldn’t drink as they had work or left early etc. If we had had a Saturday wedding or even a Sunday (and the bank holiday to recover) I think more people would have stayed longer.
I also think i would save money and get a DJ, our band were amazing but I was missing my own music and they played mostly classic wedding songs. Our band were unreal and we loved them, but I think I would have danced more if I had a DJ that could play anything. We paid extra to have a disco set 12am-1am so I could have some chart music but everyone had left so we let the band go home early.
Tell us about your Honeymoon...
We went to Costa Rica just over a year later! We couldn’t go straight after the wedding as we needed to save up again, everyone suggested we go somewhere cheaper so we could go sooner, but oh my it was worth the wait! My advice is, go where you want to go and if you have to wait do it. We got the honeymoon of our dreams and I’m so glad we waited. We stayed in the gorgeous Dreams Las Mareas that was situated on the jungles edge so we were surrounded but jungle but 5 minutes from the beach! There were capuchin monkeys, raccoons and skunks everyday at the hotel. We went to waterfalls, did nature walks, went to local shops, had lunch on the top of a volcano, jet-skied, had cocktails in natural hot springs, went down a water slide made of concrete that was 1/2 mile long through the jungle, we ziplined over the Costa Rican forests, went touring beaches and towns on ATVs and we saw sloths less than 2 metres away! It was the holiday of a lifetime and I hope one day we will get to go back.
Venue: Doxford BarnsPhotographer: Chocolate Chip PhotographyVideography: Chocolate Chip PhotographyPiper: Harry Scott (Hawick)Cake: Plumb & RabbitsFlorist: Wild With LoveCelebrant: Alnwick RegistryBand: Transit JukeboxInvitations: pureinvitation.co.ukRings: BeaverbrooksMakeup: Nichola Hope MUAHair: Livvy Liddell & Laura Mallace (bride)Dress: Sophia Grace BridalShoes: Supra High Tops (bedazzled by bride)Bridesmaid Dresses: mixbridal.comKilts: HainsworthsDecor: Amazon, eBay, Etsy, The Range, HobbycraftPhotobooth: DIY (Friends themed)Save the Dates: DIY
1 comment
Amazing photography. The man who took these wedding photographs deserve appreciation.
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